Northern Ireland Protocol Agreement: House of Commons votes in favor of Sunak’s Brexit deal

In the dispute over Brexit rules for Northern Ireland, the British House of Commons voted overwhelmingly in favor of an agreement with the European Union. Thus, Prime Minister Sunak achieved an important success – despite resistance from his own party.

The British House of Commons has approved new rules for Northern Ireland trade that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak negotiated with the European Union. MEPs overwhelmingly backed a mechanism that would give Northern Ireland’s regional parliament a say in how new EU rules are applied in the British part of the country. 515 deputies voted in favor of him, compared to only 29 deputies.

The item up for vote is part of the “Windsor Framework” that Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sealed at the end of February. With the annex to the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol, the long-running dispute over Brexit rules for British provinces has been settled.

The fact that Snake is able to prove himself is an important success. However, the Prime Minister faced rebellion within his own ranks of the Conservatives. His predecessor Liz Truss and her predecessor Boris Johnson announced their rejection of the Brexit deal, with 20 Conservative MPs voting against it. But the opposition, particularly the Labor Party, voted in favor of the deal, giving it a comfortable majority.

Also DUP resistant

It is likely that Sunak’s victory hindered Johnson’s ambitions to return to the premiership. However, the prime minister’s rejection of the deal by the Protestant Party of Northern Ireland is likely to cause a headache. The DUP has been blocking the formation of a regional government in Northern Ireland for months. According to the 1998 peace agreement known as the Good Friday Agreement, this must always consist of the two largest parties, Catholic and Protestant.

There are still no indications that the impasse in the province will be resolved. When in doubt, a new election must be held. However, this may also be in the interest of the Catholic Republican Sinn Féin. It aims to unite Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland and emerged as the strongest party in recent elections.

Customs border dispute

The Northern Ireland Protocol was negotiated as part of the Brexit deal. It states that the customs border between Great Britain and the European Union operates in the Irish Sea. This was intended to prevent the imposition of checks between British Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland, and conflict again breaking out between the Catholic supporters of Irish union and the predominantly Protestant supporters of union with Great Britain.

But the regulation also brought difficulties, for example when sending packages, medicines and taking pets with you. Some Protestants felt isolated from Britain and called for changes. These requirements are taken into account in the Windsor Framework.